


The Power In Tipping the Scales

by thembofication



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Asexual Character, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, LGBTQ charcters, Major Original Character(s), My First Work in This Fandom, Nonbinary Character, Queer Friendly, Slight angst but like not a lot, Teen Angst, children of minor gods, existential crisis at the ripe age of 15, how do you tag on this godforsaken website, i am doing my best and hoping it is enough, i just really like the PJO world, lesbians!! bisexuals!! oh my!!, nonbinary author, okay i take it back there's some pretty heavy angst, the gods are assholes, this is like mostly oc content, token cishet man
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:02:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27444571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thembofication/pseuds/thembofication
Summary: "You have no time to waste, and no time to grieveGo south and find the god who has been deceived.When the time comes, success will taste like failure.To protect the Gods, you must atone for their behavior."After Percy Jackson defeated Kronos, life for demigods at Camp Halfblood changed drastically. Idoya struggles to live a life in which she is expected to work for Gods that don't care about her, or die trying. What else could a 15 year old girl hope to do with her summer?
Kudos: 4





	1. Idoya

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first time posting work on this website! I'm really nervous, but also excited. It's been a while since I've posted fic anywhere so I am more than a little anxious, but I'm powering through. This is a pretty long fic so buckle up. I figured I give some time period context with all things considered and this being canon divergence. In this fic, I take everything in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series as cannon context, but nothing from Heroes of Olympus onward. I've had this idea since like,,, middle school so it really didn't compensate for the later series at the time. I think that's all the house keeping I needed to do as a preface. I hope you enjoy!

Camp beds are hard, and uncomfortable. The Hephaestus cabin stinks of motor oil and sweat and Idoya woke up every morning with either a headache or a sore back. Today she woke up with both, shoving her hands into her face in an effort to wake herself up. She sat up for a moment, her brown hair messily framing her face for a moment, before she flopped backward onto her pillow again. The sun was peering through the windows, kissing her warm, tan skin and she sighed. If the sun was up, it means she was late. Really late. She rolled out of bed, landing roughly on the ground, and issuing a tired groan into the wood. She rolled onto her back and kicked herself up, stretching as she stood. She got dressed leisurely, pulling her scuffed and faded sneakers on as she did her best to wake up. She stepped out of the cabin into the lush grass, yawning into the midmorning air. As much as Idoya despised cabin living, she had to admit the campgrounds were beautiful.

“Idoya!” 

She searched the lawn with her eyes, searching for the person shouting her name. Her eyes crinkled with a smile when they fell on the older boy making his way across the lawn at a brisk jog. She waved her hand over her head, a grin spreading wider across her face, “Bas!” 

Bastian was one of the older campers, with seven worn out beads on his necklace, one of the ones who stuck around out of necessity, and he had exhaustion etched permanently onto his face. He was wearing those god-awful leather sandals again, and with socks today as if they weren’t bad enough on their own, and a battered, thin over shirt atop his faded orange camp shirt. He had his locs pulled up loosely and there was sweat speckling his cool brown skin. Idoya saw the varying friendship bracelets clank together on his wrist as he raised his hand to wave back at her, the friendly gesture dissonant with the stern look on his face. 

Idoya’s smile quickly fell as Bastian drew closer, his look growing more stern with each step. By the time he came to a stop in front of her, Idoya was picking at her fingernails and shrinking in her shoes. 

“Finally up, Id?”

Idoya cringed at the question, knowing better than to answer, and sucked air through her teeth, “Oh. Yeah, I’m sorry about that—” 

“You slept through cabin inspections and your stable duties. I had to cover for you. Again.” Bastian said, a disappointed look on his face. Idoya felt a knot in her stomach tighten at the sight, guilt soaking into her bones. 

She let out a nervous chuckle, “C’mon. I didn’t mean to. It takes forever to fall asleep, and those beds are barely functional. I don’t know how anyone here gets sleep.” 

Bastian’s eyebrows leveled out on his face, his eyes boring into her, “Chiron is gonna rip you a new one. This is the fourth day this week I’ve covered for you. 

Idoya scoffed, shoving her hands into her pockets, “Oh goody, another wonderful Chiron Chastising.” 

Bastian sighed, palming at his forehead to clean it of sweat, “It could be worse. You could have had to still clean the stables.”

Idoya grinned, pushing Bastian’s shoulder playfully, “Ahh you love me, stupid.”

“Yeah, no crap,” Bastian spoke as he pushed her back, “I don’t scoop up pegasus poop on my off day for just anyone.” Bastian’s small smile fell as he nodded towards the Big House, “You better get going, best not to be too late for your tardiness hearing.”

“Ha ha, you’re so funny.” Idoya said flatly as she started walking across the lawn, “I’ll find you after!”

The walk from the Hephaestus Cabin to the Big House is not long, but Idoya was dragging her feat. Putting off the inevitable. She really didn’t want to be on the receiving end of another one of Chiron’s lectures, but she supposed that was a fruitless endeavor. She had a sneaking feeling even if she were preforming well at camp, she would still find a way to do something else wrong. Eventually, she made it to the front of the Big House only to find Chiron already on the porch. She smiled tightly, spreading her arms, “Chiron! How are you this morning.”

“It is noon, Ms. Rivera.” Chiron said humorlessly, his hands resting gently behind him. He raised an eyebrow, “Why don’t we take this inside.”

Idoya’s smile fell as Chiron turned to head into the house, grumbling under her breath as she follows him. Chiron leads her to a simple room, and gestures for her to sit. She remains standing. Chiron gave her a small smile, “Idoya, I know you think you’re in trouble. I promise you that you aren’t.”

Idoya eyed him suspiciously, “No, I’m pretty sure I’m in trouble.”

Chiron chuckled, “No, I just want to talk to you about how we can better suit your camp experience to you.”

Idoya crossed her arms, leaning on the arm of a love seat, “I don’t really think that’s possible honestly. I don’t really fit in with my siblings, and I’m not sold on good old cabin living.” 

“Perhaps you just need to connect with them. Have you tried striking up conversations at the forge? Maybe you could work on a project with one of them.”  
Idoya let out a nervous laugh, “Chiron, I can’t build anything to save my life. That’s why I don’t fit in with them. Every single other one of my siblings has some great, magical ability for the forge and I am barely capable of using a screwdriver to tighten a loose screw.”

“I’m sure if you put in the effort, you could cultivate the skill,” Chiron offered.

“The forge is not designed for beginners. It’s designed for children blessed by the god of the forge.” Idoya kicked off the armrest, shoving her hands back in her pockets and lifting her shoulders exasperatedly, “And that’s another thing! Everyone just remembers Hephaestus as the god of the forge! Did you know Hephaestus is also the god of sculpture?” Her cheeks pinked, “I mean I’m sure you do. But nobody else remembers that. He’s been reduced to a tinkerer, and that’s fine when all his kids are handy with tools, but when you’re bad at working with tools, it makes you feel like you don’t fit in. It makes it so you don’t fit in. I don’t get the gift of being a technological genius like my siblings. I don’t get the gift of knowing my way around a workshop. I’m a decent sculptor though, not like that matters to anyone here.” Idoya sighed and shoved a palm against her eye, trying to stop her eyes from watering, “I am so fundamentally different than the people I was brought here to connect with. And I can’t do anything about it.”

Chiron was silent for a moment, which was a feat in and of itself as the centaur always seemed to have words of wisdom, before he spoke again, “I’m sure that’s stressful. I’m sure your father has plans for you and your gifts.”

“I don’t want to wait around for a man, a god, who I’ve never met to decide when I can finally be useful.” Idoya tightened her jaw before she spoke again, “I don’t think camp and I are gonna be a good fit because I don’t want to be here really. I don’t get it. The point of all of this. Only a handful of us will ever see quests or a life past 18, and the rest of us are doomed to end up—” Idoya chocked on her words. She couldn’t finish the sentence, “I don’t want a quest. I don’t want to be at this camp. I want to be normal, with a normal family, and a normal dad. I didn’t ask for this.” 

Chiron’s eyes gleamed with sympathy, “I know Idoya. This is not an easy life to live, and I do not envy you for it.”

Idoya sniffled and her eyes shone with angry tears, “Whatever. I’m fine. I’m sorry for being a bad camper. I’ll do my chores, and I’ll stop making Bas cover for me.” Idoya kicked at the corner of the rug that covered the wood paneled floor, avoiding eye contact, “Can I just go now? I’m trying to make it to through the summer so I can go back home. I’ll try to reign in my angsty emotional spirals.” 

Chiron looked like he wanted to say something else, but he bit his tongue. He nodded, “You may leave. However, I urge you to make the best out of your time here. I know it’s not ideal, but at least you aren’t alone.” Chiron gestured widely, “And, please, if you ever need someone to talk to…”

“Yeah,” Idoya said, kicking off the armrest and heading towards the exit, “I’ll keep it in mind.”

Idoya stepped out of the Big House, sighing deeply as she breathed in the fresh air. She felt tears of frustration sting in her eyes as she reached up to shove them away with her palms, "Stop it Idoya. Don't let them see you like this." She chastised herself under her breath. She took another, steading sigh before stepping off of the porch. She felt a weight growing steady on her shoulders with each step, sinking her heart further into her stomach.


	2. Idoya

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter two!! thank you for reading!

If camp had one thing going for it, it was the weather. Sure, it was magically locked in the perfect climate, but that didn’t make it less enjoyable. Idoya spent a good hour wandering around in the warm sun looking for Bastian after her meeting with Chiron. She was upset at herself for slipping in front of the centaur and was in desperate need for a distraction. She finally found Bastian hanging out around the arena, watching the older campers spar. Bastian gave her a sympathetic smile when he made eye contact with her from across the yard, a singular eyebrow raising as she made her way over, “You look more annoyed than expected.”

Idoya huffed, plopping down next to him on the ground, “Yeah because I just word vomited to Chiron and now I can never look him in the eyes again.”

Bastian bumped her shoulder with his, “Hey, you’ve actually vomited on me before and I don’t look at you any different.” 

“That’s because you are an outlier, Bas. One of the good ones.” Idoya looked up to the blue sky and let out a sigh, “I just really miss the way life was before all this. Now it’s training and training and cleaning stables and more training until you just cease.”

Bastian nodded, laying back into the grass, “Yeah. At least it’s pretty here.” 

Idoya made a noise of agreement before dropping her head to the side to look at Bastian again, “Wanna spar? I feel like I’m getting rusty.”

“Rusty?” Bastian said, a smirk on his face, “If you were made of metal you’d be unusable right now.”

Idoya narrowed her eyes at him, “You shouldn’t smile like that, it makes you ugly.”

Bastian let out a laugh before he tossed a handful of grass at Idoya’s face, “You know all about that, don’t you?”

Idoya gasped in offence, smacking his arm gently as his chest shook with laughter, “Just spar with me, you bully.”

“Do you need a sparring partner Idoya? I’d be happy to volunteer!” 

Idoya froze, her cheeks blushing as she turned to face the newcomer, “Oh. Hi Kia.” 

Kia was breathtaking. She was a little younger than Bas, 16, but had been there just as long. She had smooth, dark brown skin and a warm smile glued to her face at all times. She had a laugh like wind chimes and big, curly hair that framed her face like a halo. She was the most perfect girl Idoya had ever met. Idoya hated herself for how much she resented her for it. 

Kia smiled brighter, “Do you wanna spar? I was gonna fight my shadow, but I’m always down for a friendly match.”

Idoya opened her mouth to turn her down, when Bastian sat up on his elbows and butted in, “Yeah, Id, you should spar with her. I’ll referee,” he eased himself back down onto the grass, “from over here.”

Idoya glared at him fruitlessly, as his eyes were closed as he peacefully soaked in the sun, “You are a traitor and a coward.” Bastian lifted his shoulders lazily and Idoya turned back to Kia, “Sure. Why not.” 

Kia offered her a hand, which Idoya accepted after a moment of hesitation, “Great! I’m excited to see what you’ve got!”

Idoya’s face burned and she nodded wordlessly, following Kia to the weapon rack. Idoya picked out a sword and then looked at Kia expectantly, “Aren’t you gonna pick one?”

Kia shook her head, reaching into her pocket to pull out a small, bronze cylinder the approximate size of the handle on a screwdriver. She held it out for Idoya’s inspection, “One of your brothers made it for me! Last summer when he wrecked my prosthetic in a capture the flag game.” She smiled playfully, leaning in slightly as though she was letting Idoya in on a secret, “He gave me this,” as she spoke, she pressed a button on the side of it and it quickly elongated into a bronze spear, “as a way to apologize.” 

“You’ve got your own special weapon? That’s so cool,” Idoya said, slack jawed before she steadied her expression, “Oh, I’m sorry about your leg though, that must’ve sucked.” 

Kia shrugged, “It’s all good. The Hephaestus cabin had a new one made for me before the end of the day,” She extended her prosthetic leg, gesturing to it with her hand, “and this one is made of celestial bronze so it’s super sturdy. You Hephaestus kids are miracle workers.”

Idoya felt her face heat up wildly, all the way to her ears, at the mention of her siblings, ‘Right. I don’t really—do that stuff though. I’ll pass on the compliment.” 

Kia’s smile faltered and something like sympathy flashed in her eyes, “Oh, I didn’t mean—”

“It’s cool. Let’s just… do the thing.” 

Kia nodded, heading toward an empty end of the arena, standing loosely while as Idoya struck a stiff fighting stance. She jutted her chin, “You ready?”  
Idoya nodded and, before she could finish nodding, Kia was thrusting her spear at her chest. She quickly dodged clumsily to the right, nearly escaping. She swung her sword towards Kia, who deflected it easily with a twist of her spear. Kia pulled back her spear to send another thrust towards Idoya, who raised her arm to deflect it, when suddenly Kia dropped to a crouch. She swung out a leg, swiping Idoya’s legs out from under her. Idoya was sent tumbling and she landed flat on her back, her sword clattering to the ground next to her. Her eyes closed as she groaned, her back aching from the impact, and when she opened her eyes again, she was presented with the tip of Kia’s spear. She went cross eyed staring at its point, tracing it’s body up to Kia’s hands and then to her face. She had a friendly smile on her face, chest heaving lightly, “Not bad Idoya!”

Idoya clenched her jaw, reaching up to push the spear tip away with the back of her hand, “Right. You kicked my butt.” 

Kia dropped the point, pressing that same invisible button again to compact the spear, holding out her other hand for Idoya to take, “I’m serious! That first dodge was good, I thought I had you for sure.”

Idoya ignored her hand, instead rolling over to sit up on her knees before standing up fully, “You did have me. I lost.”

Kia frowned, for the first time in the two summers that Idoya had known her, and said, “Well yeah, but—” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Idoya tried to offer her a reassuring smile, “I’m just gonna go catch up on my chores. Thanks for sparring with me.” She bent over to pick her sword back up and, while on the way to put it back on the rack, shouted to Bastian who was still sitting on the grass, “I’m going to the armory for inventory Bas! Have fun sun tanning.” 

He reached up to wave at her lazily before his hand dropped back to the ground. Idoya smiled warmly at the sight before heading towards the armory; it wasn’t often that Bastian caught a break, and she was glad he was enjoying himself. He deserved a good day in the sun, more than almost anyone else at camp. 

The walk from the arena to the armory is short by design and so Idoya reached her destination quickly, stepping inside the small shack. It smelt heavily of old metal and fresh bronze and years of poorly maintained wooden handles. The shack was dark, lit by one singular light on the ceiling, and consisted of mostly shelves filled to the brim with decades of collected armor and weapons, and Idoya had to check some of them today, the axe and helmet shelves specifically. She let out a sigh, “At least we don’t have too many helmets here” and began to work her way down the list. It took a moment to get started, but she quickly entered a rhythm. The monotony of it all brought her some sort of peace, knowing that all these things had their right places, and she was about halfway down her list when she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. 

For a split second, there was the image of a man in the corner. A misshapen, uneven silhouette that was just out of her line of sight. When she turned her head to inspect the intruder, he was gone. She stared at the wall where the intruder had stood for a long moment, trying to decipher if what she saw was real or not when she heard a whispered, “Idoya…” coming from behind her.

Idoya jumped with a yelp, turning aggressively to face the speaker but there was no one there. Idoya’s heart beat rapidly and she stared a hole into the side of the shack when some kid popped his head into the shack and yelled, “Fight on the lawn!”

Idoya’s head whipped around and she hurried out of the weapons shed. She tumbled out onto the lawn to find two boys entangled, surrounded by a steadily growing circle of people. The boys looked younger, probably around 13, and they were going at it. The blonde boy had a split brow and what would absolutely become a black eye the next day, and the dark-haired boy had a broken nose and a busted lip. They were just yelling at each other, and no one could get close enough to pull them apart while they were still throwing punches.

“I’m surprised this doesn’t happen more often, honestly.” 

Idoya jumped slightly, looking to her left to see who was talking to her. It was Levi, a child of Athena with the signature striking grey eyes and blonde hair. Levi was half a foot taller than Idoya, and they towered over her while making definitive eye contact. 

Idoya cleared her throat, “Yeah. All these kids? All these hormones? This should be like a weekly incident.”

Levi held eye contact for a little bit longer than felt necessary before nodding and turning their attention back to the tumbling, “Oh good, Prince Bastian is on his way,” they said with a gentle nod towards the elder teen making a beeline to the conflict. 

Bastian was followed by Travis and Conner Stoll and Clarisse. Even from her safe distance, Idoya could feel the annoyance crashing off of Clarisse in waves and she decidedly did not pity the dark-haired boy.

Clarisse set her jaw and shouted, “Johnny!” The tumbling in the middle of the lawn ceased almost immediately, ‘Johnny’ dropping his fists and rolling off of his battle partner. He was standing by the time Clarisse closed the final distance, her eyebrows knitted together, “What do you think you're doing, kid?”

Johnny swallowed hard and spoke, “He lied to me.” Johnny pointed at the smaller, blonde boy who was still on the ground catching his breath, “He promised.”

The blonde boy’s eyes shot to Johnny in shock and anger, pupils blown wide with adrenaline, “What do you mean I lied? I didn’t do anything!”

Johnny’s face and neck flushed, and he fully turned to look at the other boy on the ground, “You said you would keep it a secret and you told. I trusted you and you told!”

The blonde boy’s eyes seemed to soften a little, as he worked with Travis to stand up, “I didn’t tell anyone—”

“Liar!!” Johnny yelled, leaning so far into it that Clarisse placed a hand on his shoulder to keep things civil. “You’re a liar. You’re the only person I’ve ever told, and now almost everyone at camp knows.” He shrugged off Clarisse’s hand, “Screw this. I hate it here.” Johnny turned on his heels, heading towards the Ares cabin. 

Clarisse gave a polite nod to Travis and Conner, as well as Bastian, before turning to the crowd and shouting, “You all don’t have anything better to do? Oh, I can give you something better to do!”  
The crowd quickly dissipated, Clarisse and the Stolls ushering off their respective campers to their respective cabins. 

Bastian made eye contact with Idoya and began walking towards her, eyes filled with annoyance. 

Idoya looked at Levi again, “What was this fight even about?”

Levi lifted their shoulders loosely, rolling their eyes, “Johnny was kicked out of his house. He’s living with his aunt right now, I think?” they frowned slightly, looking almost sympathetic, “He was trying to keep it under wraps, but that cat is out of the bag now.”

Idoya frowned, staring off at the Ares cabin, “Oh. Poor kid.” 

“I can’t imagine how awful it feels to be trapped in a place where everyone knows the one thing you didn’t want them to,” Bastian noted, coming to rest in front of the both of them.

Levi scoffed, “I can.” They cleared their throat, looking to Idoya, “Our cabins are paired together for the capture the flag game tomorrow, so I guess I’ll see you later.”

Idoya nodded, “Yeah, I’m excited. Oh! I wanted to say, I noticed you cut your hair. The mullet looks good.” 

Levi gave her a small smile, lifting their hand to run through the shaggy cut, “Oh, thanks!” Their smile widened as they reached out to thumb the collar of Idoya’s jean jacket, admiring the gradient orange, white and pink flag pin, “I like your pin.” They tapped it gently before turning to walk away. 

Bastian turned to look at Idoya, “This week has been so exhausting that I completely forgot there’s capture the flag tomorrow.”

Idoya chuckled, “Yeah, I can’t believe it’s only like 2pm,” she sighed exasperatedly as she began to walk back towards her cabin, “Time is fake.”  
Bastian made a noise of agreement as he followed her. 

Idoya finished her chores pretty quickly. She finished the armory inventory and then sparred with some of the younger campers for a while before it was time for dinner. The sun was beginning to set over the camp and the air was beginning to cool and Idoya could smell the scent of food wafting from the dining pavilion. 

Kia was already sitting at the Misc. table and Bastian gave Idoya a small goodbye before leaving her to join Kia. Idoya sat at the Hephaestus table giving her siblings a half-hearted hello before focusing on her food. She hated that she had to eat with her cabin mates; they spent all of dinner talking about their plans and ideas for new projects and Idoya just couldn’t relate or contribute. She wished she could sit with Bas or even Kia. Anything would be better than feeling so isolated at a table full of people. 

“Hey Id,” Levi called from across the pavilion. They looked to be done with their dinner and heading out, “Can’t wait to plan for tomorrow!”

Idoya smiled and waved, “Hey! Me too! I’m excited!”

Levi gave her a smile, a genuine one, before turning to the exit. 

James, one of Idoya’s brothers, bumped her shoulder with his, “Hey, it’s cool that you’re making friends. I know we can be a little…” He smiled awkwardly, “one track.”

Idoya blinked at him in slight shock before smiling back at him, “Oh. Thank you. I’m sorry I’m not very, um… technical.” 

James waved away her apology, “You don’t have to apologize for that. You’re not the first child of a God to feel like they don’t fit in.” 

Idoya smiled at him again before turning back to her food, a warm feeling spreading in her chest. 

Then the scream ripped through the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahahahahahahaha pain :)


	3. Idoya

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends! Sorry it's been a while, school has been kicking my butt. There's a general TW for death and violence in this chapter. See y'all again soon!!

There was a brief, terrifying moment when no one moves. No one did anything. Then everyone moved at once. Dozens of kids flooded out of the pavilion onto the lawn in search of the source of the scream. 

It wasn’t hard to find as there was a griffin circling the air with a screaming, flailing Levi in its grasp. 

Idoya’s heart dropped to her stomach as she sprinted towards the center of the lawn, eyes glued on the circling monster in the sky. 

The Apollo kids were scrambling to draw their bows, but Clarisse was yelling at them, “Don’t shoot! You’ll hit the kid.” 

Time seemed to slow as the griffin twisted in the air and Levi was sent flying. They let out a bloodcurdling scream as they plummeted toward the river, the sound of their body colliding with the surface of the water was a sickening smack as the impact stopped their scream suddenly.

Idoya’s heart sunk further. 

Percy sprinted towards the river, diving in after Levi’s body. Idoya tried to keep her eyes trained on where Levi entered the water but, as people were frantically running around her, it became hard to keep track of. She vaguely heard another scream as the griffin dove from the sky, scooping another camper into the air. They flew through the air screaming before landing harshly on the ground with deafening silence. 

It was at that moment that Idoya started moving. She sprinted across the lawn, shouted at the swooping griffin, “You stupid bird! Come down here! I’ll kill you!” 

The griffin screeched as the kids from the Apollo cabin were able to land arrows in its belly and wings. It began flying much lower, only about a dozen feet above the ground.   
Kia appeared next to Idoya, or maybe she had been there the entire time and Idoya simply hadn’t noticed, her spear drawn. Kia’s face was set with a determined expression as she drew her arm back and launched the spear through the air. It punctured the griffin’s wing, sending it tumbling to the ground in pain. Several campers rushed it with weapons they grabbed from the armory, swiping wildly at the stumbling beast. 

The griffin may have been grounded, but it was not downed. It kept flinging its wings at the surround campers, sending some of them tumbling into walls and dirt. One camper hit a column on the mess hall so hard he that fell motionless to the ground. Idoya stared on in shock, muttering under her breath, “We need to do something.”

Kia nodded, glancing at Idoya frantically, “Got any plans?”

Idoya shook her head, scanning the surrounding area quickly. Her eyes fell on the dining pavilion and it hit her. She had a plan. Idoya looked at Kia for one moment and said, “Boost me,” before breaking out into a sprint towards the building. 

She heard Kia take off after her, shouting “What do you mean?”

Idoya glanced at her from over her shoulder, pointing upward toward the roof of the pavilion, “Boost me!” 

Kia’s eye’s widened and she nodded tightly, running faster to catch up with Idoya. As soon as they reached the pavilion, she dropped to a slight crouch and netted her hands together as a foot hold. Idoya clambered over Kia frantically, struggling to find purchase on the slanted roof. Once she had her balance, she leant over the edge to talk to Kia, “Get Lionheart’s attention.” Kia frowned, only slightly, and her eyebrows pursed. Idoya fought the urge to roll her eyes, “Please. I have a plan.” 

Kia gave a small nod, almost imperceptible, before turning around and cupping her mouth, “This way you dumb Do-Do!” 

The crowd of kids around the griffin was thinning as the griffin seemed only mildly inconvenienced by the spear lodged in its wings. Injuries were piling up, and there were unconscious kids speckling the lawn. Even Clarise was beginning to look afraid, the sparkling of concern dotting her eyes. 

This wasn’t right. None of this was right.

Luckily, the thinning crowd made it very easy for Kia to get the griffin’s attention. A few big pebbles tossed its way and a few mean names hurled at it and the beast’s beady eyes were quickly trained on the girl. Kia laughed, a brief, hysterical sound, before turning around and sprinting back to the pavilion. “Here it comes, Id!” Kia said, the griffin gaining on her quickly, “This better work!”

Idoya stayed low to the roof, moving as close to the edge as possible. The griffin was charging faster, only a few feet behind Kia now. Kia passed under the roof of the pavilion, running as fast as she could and Idoya braced herself. Her eyes were glued to the griffin as it barreled towards Kia, as its beak just barely passed under the overhead.

There.

Idoya leaped off the roof, landing harshly on the back of the beast with a grunt. She buried her fingers in the nape of its neck, pulling harshly at the handful of feathers and fur to get the beast to turn. It let out a sharp cry, rearing up and flaring out its wings. When its front paws landed on the ground again, it took off to the left. Idoya held on tightly as the beast speed up, galloping towards the crowd of kids. She started yelling, “Move! Get out of the way!” 

Children were diving out of the way, some of the older campers giving Idoya confused glances from the sidelines. Bastian made eye contact with her and the terror in his eyes made her stomach turn. She broke eye contact, turning her attention back to the griffin. 

She kept one hand buried deep in the fur and feathers at the nape of its neck, twisting her torso to reach for the spear still buried firmly in its left wing. She stretched as far as she could, her fingertips brushing over the edge of the hilt before the beast extended its wings again and the spear moved out of range. 

She cursed under her breath, scrambling to think of a new plan. The griffin had rushed past the group of kids and was now making a wide turn to charge them again. Idoya didn’t have much time. 

She tightened her legs around its torso, releasing her grasp on its neck and leaning even further towards the spear. It kept falling in and out of reach as the griffin picked up speed and Idoya groaned with annoyance. She grabbed the joint of its wing with her right hand and pulled aggressively. It made a sickening crack and the griffin cried, stumbling in its charge. Idoya’s body crumpled with the stumble, the air in her lungs knocked out by the impact, but she used the new angle of the wing to make a final grab at the spear. Her fingers curled around the cool metal handle and Idoya laughed, a bubble of hysteria, before she pulled harshly to dislodge it from the beast’s wing. 

It was freed with an accompanying cry from the griffin, which flared its freshly injured wing in pain, as the beast began picking up speed again. Idoya twisted her torso back around, facing the neck of it again and raising the spear over her head with her two hands clasped tightly around its length. Her eyes stung, she could feel the wind cooling the tears streaming down her face, and her arms were shaking with adrenaline. She let out a shaky breath, tightening her grasp until her palms felt like they were on fire, “Screw you, stupid bird,” and she thrust the head of the spear through the back of the beast’s head. 

There was a sharp squawk as the griffin evaporated into dust and Idoya was sent tumbling through the air with momentum. She landed quickly, scraping her shins and knees raw, letting the spear tumble to the ground next to her. She looked over her shoulder to the pile of dust that was once the monster wreaking havoc through the camp. Her shoulders fell when she saw that it was really dead and began crying in earnest. She was gasping for air, clutching at her chest with her right hand, trying to ground herself. 

She felt a hand rest on her shoulder, and she looked up frantically to see who it belonged to. It was Clarisse, and she looked exhausted. Her face was speckled with sweat and donned with a look of begrudging respect and a little…sympathy? Maybe it was empathy. Either way, she looked like Idoya had earned her respect. Clarisse gave her a small squeeze, “Hey kid. Are you okay?”

Idoya nodded, “Yeah,” her voice cracked, “I think so.”

Clarisse nodded, crouching down to be level with her, “That was brave. You did good.”

“I—” Idoya suddenly remembered Levi and she immediately whipped her head towards the water again. Percy and Annabeth were standing at the bank of the river, and Percy’s head was hung low. Annabeth’s hands were covering her mouth and her shoulders were shaking. Idoya’s heart broke, shattered into a million pieces. 

“Levi didn’t make it.” She said, softly, so quietly that she wasn’t even sure she actually spoke.

Clarise followed her line of sight and her gaze softened further, her hand tightening on her shoulder, “Ah. C’mon. Let’s go help the injured to the infirmary.” 

Idoya paused for a moment, frozen in place. Then she nodded, slowly, accepting Clarise’s extending hand to pull herself off of the ground. Clarise extended her other hand, something enclosed in her fist. She opened her hand to reveal a small, singular fang. It was attached to a thin leather chord. Clarise nodded her head back towards the pile of monster ash, “Spoils of battle. You earned it.” 

Idoya took it, giving Clarise a tight smile. 

She didn’t really feel like she had earned anything.


	4. Bastian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends, I am on a ROLL with this fic rn so expect more consistent updates lol. Also! this work is written in limited 3rd person perspective, and the chapter titles are the character that the narrative follows for each respective chapter. Should have probably mentioned that I was gonna perspective jump earlier, but I ~forgot~ lol. This chapter is a little short bc its a breather chap, but I'll see you soon with some more meaty stuff! Happy reading!

Bastian had been searching for Idoya ever since the fight ended. He had tried to intercept her as soon as she killed the griffin, but Clarise got to her first. There was a moment where Bastian stepped forward to speak to Idoya anyway, but Clarise made eye contact with him and gave him a gentle shake of her head. Bastian knew better than to step on Clarise’s toes, so he let it slide. He busied himself with calming the younger campers and making sure the injured had their space. Unfortunately, that meant Idoya was lost to the wind for a while. It had been two hours since the attack, and Bastian had yet to find her again. He had checked the infirmary, the Big House, the Hephaestus cabin, the stables, and the vineyard. He was running out of options and, out of desperation, decided to check the forge to see if she was there. He popped his head into the doorway, clearing his throat, “Has anyone seen Idoya recently?”

There was a chorus of “no” and “not recently” and “she never comes in here”. Bastian frowned slightly and began to turn away before he heard someone call his name. He looked back to see James Mackinnon, one of Idoya’s older brothers.

He was covered in grease and sweat, his red hair plastered to his forehead under his welding goggles. He jogged to Bastian, the tools in his belt clanking together. He came to a stop in front of Bastian, his brow furrowed as his eyes bounced around the forge, “You’re looking for Idoya?” 

Bastian nodded, eyebrow raised, “Yeah, but everyone said she wasn’t here.”

James nodded, meeting Bastian’s eyes fleetingly before focusing on the wall behind him, “She’s not. I think I might know where she is though.” James frowned slightly, thrumming his index finger on his leg, “She doesn’t really talk to us usually, and I typically give her space because I’m not very good at talking to people, but after today I’m…” 

Bastian pressed his lips together, “You’re worried about her, huh?”

“Yeah. It’s hard enough for kids who don’t have any abilities, and Idoya doesn’t really even like it here. With what happened today I’m just worried that she…”

Bastian interrupted James, clearing his throat, “I'm sure she'll be okay. Just tell me where you think she is.”

James nodded, avoiding Bastian’s eyes, “After the fight ended, most of our cabin headed to the forge. Busying ourselves, y’know? Idoya stayed in the cabin. I know she—” James took a hard swallow, “She goes up to the roof when she’s stressed. I think she likes how quiet it is.”

Bastian nodded slowly before stepping back, “Right. Thank you James.” He gave him one last glance, observing how his leg was shaking and how he was staring a hole in the wall of the forge. Bastian frowned slightly, “I’ll let you know if I find her. Promise.” 

James nodded, making brief eye contact with Bastian once more before turning on his heels and hurrying back into the forge. Bastian left the forge, walking across the lawn to the Hephaestus cabin. As he neared, a silhouette on the roof of the cabin slowly came into focus. Bastian’s frowned deepened, the silhouette disappearing as Bastian drew closer. He stared at the edge of the roof, clearing his throat, “Idoya, I know you’re up there. Can you come down?”

There was a pause and Bastian pondered for a moment the idea that James might have been wrong, that there was a completely different person sulking on this roof. 

“No,” Idoya’s voice rang through the air, “but you can come up here if you want.” 

Punctuating her words, a rope ladder falling softly from the roof. Bastian sighed, wrapping a hand around the rough cord of the ladder, pulling himself up. Once on the roof, he was able to finally get a solid look at Idoya. 

She was hugging her knees to her chest, staring out over the forest. Her knees and shins were wrapped in bandages, and she had a band aid on her jaw. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her hair was sticking up in random spots like she had been running her hands through it. Her breathing was irregular, and she looked like she was trying very hard not to fall apart.   
Bastian sighed, sitting next to her. He stared out at the forest, trying not to stare at Idoya, “Are you okay?”

“No.” 

“Do you think you will be?”

“Not sure that matters,” Idoya said, her voice cracking. 

Bastian sighed again, his shoulder’s falling, “Id, come on.” 

Idoya scoffed, “You’re the one who asked.”

“It matters to me that you’re okay. You can’t just…” Bastian shrugged, flicking a pebble off the roof, “lock everything away. I’m here for you.” 

Idoya was quiet for a moment, a charged silence falling over the two of them. Idoya took a shaky breath, clutching her knees closer to her chest, “Levi is gone, Bas. I’ve—I’ve never seen someone die before. We’re supposed to be safe here, Levi was supposed to be safe here, and they died anyway. Stella, from the Aphrodite cabin? She’s in a coma after she got skipped across the ground like a pebble over a pond. How am I supposed to deal with that?” Her voice was raspy from crying, and Bastian could hear how she was trying to stop herself from crying again. 

Bastian chewed on the inside of his lower lip quietly, considering how to answer. Eventually he spoke again, “I don’t know,” he said earnestly, “but you’ve got to try. It’s unfair and it’s unfortunate, but that’s just how life is for us. There’s nothing we can do, except try our best.”

Idoya’s feet scrapped across the roof as she pulled her legs even closer to her chest, her fingers digging into her arms as she pulled herself as tight as possible, “Yeah, well that’s not good enough. Our lives don’t just get to mean less because our parent’s don’t care. Levi was my friend. They were a person. Does that not matter?”

For a while, the only thing Bastian could hear was the shaky breaths Idoya was taking. He resisted the urge to wrap her in a hug, pull her into his arms and tell her everything would be okay. That one day everything would be better. It wouldn’t, and they both knew it. 

“Listen, Bas,” Idoya began, and Bastian felt her eyes on the side of his head, “I appreciate you coming to find me. I’m just not really processing any of this well.” 

“I know. I’m here for you,” Bastian stood, taking his cue to leave. He looked over his shoulder once more before descending the rope ladder, “I know you’re going through it right now, but the camp is really grateful for what you did. Today was awful, and I’m sorry you had to do what you did, but you should let yourself accept that gratitude. You saved lives today. You were a hero.” 

Idoya didn’t respond. Bastian didn’t expect her to.


	5. Idoya

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am on a ROLL I wrote like 5k words for this fic in the last two days. Winter break has rejuvenated my creative spirit. See you all again soon! Hope you enjoy the chapter!!

Idoya never dreamt. She was once told that half-bloods’ dreams were often premonitions of important things, other times they were warnings. For a while, Idoya considered it a blessing that she was not burdened with such awful dreams but, the night after the griffin attack, she realized that it was not a blessing. It was an oversight. 

She had her first dream that night. She was standing in a forge and, for a brief moment, she thought it was the one at camp. Idoya laughed, a small sound like a scoff, before realizing that she was not in the camp forge. This forge was designed for one person, and it gleaned with magic in a way that the camp’s forge did not. Idoya took a step closer to the forge itself, intrigued by the bubbling pool in the center. 

“You act as though you have never seen a forge before.”

Idoya jumped, turning around quickly. Her eyes fell on a man, hunched over in a chair. His shoulders were sloped, and his limbs were misshapen. His face was decorated with acne scars and discoloration. His hair was soaked with grease and oil, sticking flatly to the perimeter of his face. Idoya took a tentative step in his direction, “I haven’t been in one in a long time.”

The man spoke again, his voice gravely and uneven, “Do you know who I am, child?”

Idoya took a steading breath before she spoke, “You’re Hephaestus,” she tightened her jaw as she maintained eye contact, “My father.”

Hephaestus grumbled in agreement, shifting his weight to lean back in his chair, “I am here to issue a warning.” His gaze was unwavering, and his brow was furrowed as he stared Idoya down.   
Idoya refused to falter. 

She swallowed, hard, “Warn me about what?”

Hephaestus hummed, a groan, as he shifted once again. He dug around in his pocket for a few seconds before pulling out a coin. He fiddled with it as he spoke, flipping it through his fingers, “When you wake up you will receive a quest. Your mentor, Chiron, will suggest you go to New Jersey,” Hephaestus tilted his head back, finally breaking eye contact, “If you listen to him, you will fail. You will wander into a trap, you will not make it to the mountain, and you will die.” 

Idoya’s breath hitched and her mind began racing, “Why am I getting a quest? And what mountain are you talking about?” Her tongue turned to lead, falling numb in her mouth. She swallowed again, “I would die?”

“I can’t answer these questions, Idoya. We don’t have much time. I am…” Hephaestus pressed his lips together, “In hiding.”

Idoya took a step towards him, her fists clenching at her side, “You can’t just drop this on me and then leave. That isn’t fair.” 

The coin stopped moving in-between his fingers as he paused. He palmed the coin, resting his closed fist on the arm rest of the chair, “I have… created a mess. It is up to you to fix it.”   
Idoya took another step forward, her patience slipping quickly, “This is—”

“I’ve brought you a gift,” Hephaestus said, carrying on as though she had not spoken. He extended his hand, with the coin resting on his palm, “I made it myself. For you in particular.”   
Idoya paused, standing only a few inches in front of him. She reached out, picking up the coin from his palm. She ran a finger over the face. It looked like a regular, golden drachma. Idoya looked up at her father again, her eyebrow raised in question. 

The corner of Hephaestus’s lip lifted in a small smile, “It’s blessed by Apollo. If you ask a question and then flip the coin, it will give you an answer. Nothing too big, it’s simple magic. I hope that it will help you in your quest.” 

Idoya clutched the coin tightly between her fingers, running her tongue over her teeth as she pondered his words. She pocketed the coin, “So you just pop into my dreams, tell me what to do and that’s that? Why should I even listen to you?”

“You are my child. An extension of me. It is your duty.” 

Idoya rolled her eyes, taking a step back, “Right. Good talk dad.”

Hephaestus frowned slightly, leaning back further in his chair, “Go to Maine. Portland. You’ll know what to do from there.”

Idoya nodded wordlessly, agitated. Her vision began to tunnel, the borders of her vision growing dark. She blinked once and the vision of her father was gone entirely.

Idoya woke up the next morning with a buzzing head and a sore throat. As she dressed herself, her limbs felt numb and she felt as though her body was moving of its own accord. Pulling her camp shirt over her head, donning her jean jacket, sliding aching legs into tattered jeans. None of it felt real. She felt like she was still sleeping. 

She stumbled out onto the lawn, the sun barely showing over the trees on the horizon. She looked across the camp, her eyes settling on the Big House. Chiron and Rachel were stood in front of it, talking to each other. With a heavy sigh, Idoya stepped out of the cabin and onto the dew ridden grass. She shoved her hands into her pocket, mildly aware of the presence of the gifted coin pressing against her palm. She was a few yards away from the House when Chiron finally noticed her walking towards them. Her shoulders sunk as confusion settled in their faces, Rachel raising her eyebrow in surprise.   
Idoya cleared her throat when she arrived at the porch of the Big House, scratching the back of her head, “I uh… had a dream last night.”

The confusion fell out of Rachel’s face instantly, her eyes softening, “Ah. Well, you’ve saved us the trouble of finding you.”

Idoya lifted her shoulders, averting her eyes from the oracle, “Right. I’m helpful like that.”

Chiron ushered them into the house as Rachel spoke to Idoya, “I know you’ve been through a lot Idoya but, clearly, this attack on the camp is a bad sign.”

Chiron nodded, gesturing for Idoya to sit, “Monsters don’t just make it past the border. Someone summoned that beast, and I fear this is just the start.” 

Idoya ignored Chiron’s gesture, choosing to stand awkwardly in-between the coffee table and the sofa, “What if…” Idoya glanced at Rachel, and then Chiron, “What if I don’t want a quest?”

Chiron’s eyes soften with sympathy, “I’m afraid it’s not up for debate. One does not simply ignore quests.”

Rachel placed a gentle hand on Idoya’s arm, smiling at her softly, “I’m sorry, Idoya.” 

The stench of pity made her sick to her stomach and she shrugged Rachel’s hand off. She stood as tall as she could, crossing her arms across her chest, “Not like I have much of a choice anyway. Let’s get this over with.” 

Rachel gave Idoya one more kind, empathetic look before clearing her throat and sitting up. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Almost immediately, her eyes shot back open, glowing bright green. Rachel spoke, her voice sounding like a layered echo of several people talking, with green smoke billowing out of her mouth, “You have no time to waste, and no time to grieve. Go south and find the god who has been deceived. When the time comes, success will taste like failure. To protect the Gods, you must atone for their behavior.”

Rachel looked once at Idoya with those cold, fluorescent eyes. Once she finished speaking, Rachel let out a terrible shrieking sound as the smoke dissipated. Her eyes closed again, and her head fell back onto the back of the couch. Chiron adjusted her posture to make sure she was okay before turning to Idoya, speaking warmly, “Speaking to the Oracle is quite nerve wracking to say the least.”

Idoya nodded wordlessly, her throat suddenly very dry.

Chiron cleared his throat awkwardly, “Well, I can give you a day to choose your companions and—”

“You don't need to,” Idoya interrupted, finally snapping out of her shock, “I choose Bastian. And Kia. I don’t need to think about it. I don’t—” her voice caught in her throat, “I don’t have anyone else anyway.”

Chiron nodded tentatively, “Then you all can leave tomorrow. There’s a safe house in New Jersey with supplies that I’m sure you could use.” 

As Chiron spoke about his plan and advice, Idoya’s mind wandered to her dream. To her father. To his warning. To the coin burning a hole in her back pocket. 

Idoya nodded mindlessly to whatever Chiron was saying, taking advantage of a lull in his train of thought to excuse herself. She had a quest to prepare for, after all. 

Idoya ended up wandering back to her cabin. The rest of the campers were starting to wake up and spread through camp, the quit murmur of community living echoing across the lawn. Idoya made a bee line for her cot, hoping to avoid interaction between her siblings. 

Unfortunately, this effort was futile. A younger girl set down across from Idoya. She looked to be around 12 and she was staring intently at Idoya. Idoya cleared her throat, “Can I help you?

“How did you kill that Griffin?” The girl asked, completely ignoring her, “Was it magic?”

Idoya glanced around, looking for help from someone marginally more socially aware, “I just uh—stabbed it. After a lot of other people stabbed it. I had very little to do with it, actually.”

The girl nodded, leaning closer. She was scanning Idoya’s face for something, Idoya was puzzled as to what. Then, the girl leaned back again and held out her hand. Sitting on the palm was a small, celestial bronze heart. Idoya picked it up to inspect it and, when she turned it around, she saw that the back had two pin backings. Idoya looked back at the little girl, eyebrow raised.

She cleared her throat, “They’re charmed. It’s like a compass.” She takes the pin back and gently pull it apart. The pin split into two halves of one heart, each with a small triangle pointing to where the other would be. She pressed them back together, “If the pins are separated, the arrows always point in the direction of the other. It’s a Finn original.” The little girl, Finn, beamed at her work. 

Idoya nodded, eyebrows raised, “That’s really cool. Why are you giving it to me, though?”

Finn rolled her eyes, her shoulders sagging a little, “I made it for this guy in the Aphrodite cabin to gift to his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day, but they broke up before I could finish and deliver it.”

Idoya raised a brow, “Are you inferring that I have to pay you for this?”

Finn extended her arms, waving erratically, “No, no, no, no, no!! This one is free of charge.” She leaned forward, pressing the pins into Idoya’s palm, “Just make sure you tell everyone how great they work.”

“Ah,” Idoya said sardonically, “Free advertising.”

Finn shot her a toothy grin, “Everyone’s gotta start somewhere!” Finn stood, clearly pleased with the interaction. She faltered as she began to leave, getting Idoya’s attention once more, “Oh! Forgot about the one stipulation. For the charm to work, the heart being sought has to want to be found. Otherwise it’ll just lead you in a circle.”

Idoya let out a chuckle, pocketing the charm in her jacket, “How sweet.” 

Finn shrugged, walking backwards towards the door, “Aphrodite kid was sappy like that. What can I say?”

Idoya nodded absentmindedly, vaguely aware of Finn’s descending footsteps. Idoya reached up to her neck, untying her leather necklace. The two beads from her years at camp clanged softly together. Idoya had gotten claimed after the battle at the empire state building and, after Percy’s prophecy concluded, camp life was significantly more dull. Her first bead was a wine glass, commemorative of Mr. D leaving camp. Her second one was a grape vine, commemorative of the first peaceful summer the camp had gotten in ages. She stared at the small clay beads for a while before digging around under her pillow. She produced the small tooth Clarisse had found and given her. With a sigh she added it to her cord before typing the necklace back around her neck. 

Idoya couldn’t bring herself to think about Levi yet. To grieve. It would be a long time before Idoya could think about them without feeling like she was responsible. Like she was at fault. 

But maybe Bastian was right. Maybe she deserved to accept the fact that she stopped the griffin. That she was responsible for that too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


End file.
